# Hobgoblin Strong Dark Englsh Ale



## TideRoll (Nov 7, 2005)

Anybody had any of this stuff? The guy at the store (which claims to have the largest beer selection in Birmingham) swore it was so good that people were getting hooked on it. I bought a six. What can I say, I'm easy when it comes to getting me to try a different brew.

I was left sort of bewildered by this beer, and I can't say I've ever felt bewildered by beer before. It wasn't bad, it had a nice first taste with semi-sweet chocolate pretty obvious, but then it had a fruity follow that was a bit more than I was expecting, along with an almost wine-ey sort of finish. 

I don't know quite what to think of it, really. It is really a bit more complex than most beers I've had lately, and I don't know if I like that or not. I can say that I liked the last one I drank better than the first one. Still, when I drink this beer, I can't escape the same ambivalence. Do I like it or not? Odd beer with an odd name. 

I had it fairly cold, right out of the fridge into a favorite ceramic mug. I wonder if I need to bring it up a little bit in temperature to bring out a different flavor, as I recently did a Jubel?


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## altbier (Feb 20, 2005)

you may have liked the last one better because whatever you had drunk or eaten before he first one was still screwing with your tastebuds. just a guess.

that beer tastes even better on draft if you can find it.

cheers!


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## illuminatus (Oct 20, 2005)

altbier said:


> you may have liked the last one better because whatever you had drunk or eaten before he first one was still screwing with your tastebuds. just a guess.
> 
> that beer tastes even better on draft if you can find it.
> 
> cheers!


The beer guru has spoken! :r I've never heard of the stuff (hell, I can't legally buy the stuff anyway!) but the way you describe it, it sounds very interesting. I might like to give it a try sometime.


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## Lumpold (Apr 28, 2005)

I drank a fair amount of this over christmas... yep, with altbier, it's great, and better on tap... Great stuff, especially at 12 for £15 at bargain booze up the road from me.


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## TideRoll (Nov 7, 2005)

altbier said:


> you may have liked the last one better because whatever you had drunk or eaten before he first one was still screwing with your tastebuds. just a guess.
> 
> that beer tastes even better on draft if you can find it.
> 
> cheers!


I'll look for it on tap, but in Birmingham, I don't hold out a lot of hope. If I were in Lumpy-land and could have it in Birmingham, England, I suspect I'd have a little more luck....


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## Lumpold (Apr 28, 2005)

Indeed, somewhat blessed in the department of Engliish (and Scottish and Irish) ale... but can find a decent Light Beer? No (thankfully).


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## TideRoll (Nov 7, 2005)

Lumpold said:


> Indeed, somewhat blessed in the department of Engliish (and Scottish and Irish) ale... but can find a decent Light Beer? No (thankfully).


Ah, for a discussion, it could be asked it such a thing is possible anywhere?


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## Lumpold (Apr 28, 2005)

Dunno, they seem quite popular in the US... is that just so you can drink 4 times as many and say that you could still walk after 4 cases of beer?


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## TideRoll (Nov 7, 2005)

I am sure many folks on here will have a light beer from time to time (I do); it's not a shooting offense and after cutting the yeard on a hot summer day, an easy-on-the-palate brew goes down well. 

I don't know that "light" beers are necessarily any weaker. When I did my volume drinking fifteen to twenty years ago, most beers commonly available to us were all within a percent or less of one another. Not anything like what is available now either in domestics or non-domestics. 

And in my state, at least, regulatory authorities also have a say in maximum alcohol content and container size. We even have a bill making its way through our state legislature that will make it illegal for individuals to purchase kegs. That's right: in order to curb underage drinking, they think that making kegs available only from eateries and bars will have an impact. More likely, it will increase the profit margin of the bottlers, since you pay more per ounce in the can or bottle. Anyway, I digress.

I couldn't tell you for sure, since these days my consumption generally is in the range of one to three per setting.


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## Lumpold (Apr 28, 2005)

Are we talking about the same things here... Bud and Coors Light and the like? Man, when they released them over here they were cans of 3.4% piss water.... tasted crap. Now for a nice light beer like Corona, OK, I see where you're coming from, but Bud Light? Hell I'd rather drink non-alcoholic beer like Kaliber.


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## Hoppy (Sep 21, 2005)

I'll only have a lite beer when I'm not drinking......

A good English bitter is a great "lite" beer.

I prefer IPA's in the 6 - 9% range so I guess most beers are lite to me.


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## TideRoll (Nov 7, 2005)

Hoppy said:


> I'll only have a lite beer when I'm not drinking......
> 
> A good English bitter is a great "lite" beer.
> 
> I prefer IPA's in the 6 - 9% range so I guess most beers are lite to me.


I don't mind an IPA, I had one from an Atlanta brewery a week or two back, but I probably prefer something a little less hoppy day to day.

They are a bit stouter, though, aren't they?


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## TideRoll (Nov 7, 2005)

Lumpold said:


> Are we talking about the same things here... Bud and Coors Light and the like? Man, when they released them over here they were cans of 3.4% piss water.... tasted crap. Now for a nice light beer like Corona, OK, I see where you're coming from, but Bud Light? Hell I'd rather drink non-alcoholic beer like Kaliber.


3.4%? That IS a bit low. Per realbeer.com, Corona Light and Buttwiper Light are within a little red hair of one another in alcohol content, at 4.5% and 4.3% respectively. They are both comparatively weak looking at the chart on the website. There are some doozeys there.

I did discover that in fact the light beers in many cases DO have somewhat lower alcohol content, though. Bud = 5%, Bud Light = 4.3%, Mic = 5% Mic Light 4.2%, Coors = 5%, Coors Light = 4.2%, Carona not as much difference at 4.6% for the Extra vs. 4.5% for the Light. I learn something new everyday.

Check out the Sam Adams Triple Bock at 17.5%!! Wow, is that a beer or anesthesia?

The list I consulted was at http://www.realbeer.com/edu/health/calories.php .

Interesting reading.


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## Jeff (Jan 2, 2005)

Lumpold said:


> Dunno, they seem quite popular in the US... is that just so you can drink 4 times as many and say that you could still walk after 4 cases of beer?


I've heard it described as barbeque beer. Great for drinking on a hot day while standing over a bbq.


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## SeanGAR (Jul 9, 2004)

TideRoll said:


> I was left sort of bewildered by this beer, and I can't say I've ever felt bewildered by beer before. It wasn't bad, it had a nice first taste with semi-sweet chocolate pretty obvious, but then it had a fruity follow that was a bit more than I was expecting, along with an almost wine-ey sort of finish.


Many British pale ales have a lot more ester in them compared to american beers of the same alcohol content. That comes in part from the yeast, in part from the types of fermentation vats used (double drop in this case, results in more oxygen early in fermentation and ester production).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/oxford/features/2004/02/brewery.shtml

Esters provide a fruity/winey character. I find many British pale ales, EBSs and bitters to be relatively austere compared to American microbrewed beers in those categories (but I like the malt forward complexity and fruityness). They need to be appreciated relatively warm. As well, they use fuggles and styrian goldings (also a fuggles) in this beer, which tends to produce a more laid back hop character than other varieties might (EKGs, American hops).

You can make a low alcohol beer with little residual sweetness that still has malt and hop character. Bert Grant's old Celtic Ale was a perfect example ... less alcohol and calories than Budlight, but had malt and hop taste. I have 10 gallons of a clone of this that I need to bottle sometime soon.


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## TideRoll (Nov 7, 2005)

SeanGAR said:


> Esters provide a fruity/winey character. I find many British pale ales, EBSs and bitters to be relatively austere compared to American microbrewed beers in those categories (but I like the malt forward complexity and fruityness). They need to be appreciated relatively warm. As well, they use fuggles and styrian goldings (also a fuggles) in this beer, which tends to produce a more laid back hop character than other varieties might (EKGs, American hops).


So from this, I probably need to let the Hobgoblin come up in temp into the fifties, maybe? Altbier and someone else told me to do this with a German brew, Jubel, I had a month or so back. I noticed a difference.

I've picked up shades of that mild winey taste you describe from time to time when I've tried (no shock here) one or two other British beers, and some specialty/small batch beers. It was just a bit more in front of me with the Hobgoblin.

You really know your beer. Thanks for the explanation; I've learned yet more today. If I ever get back into homebrewing, I'll have to keep you in mind for advice.


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## Lumpold (Apr 28, 2005)

TideRoll said:


> 3.4%? That IS a bit low. Per realbeer.com, Corona Light and Buttwiper Light are within a little red hair of one another in alcohol content, at 4.5% and 4.3% respectively. They are both comparatively weak looking at the chart on the website. There are some doozeys there.
> 
> I did discover that in fact the light beers in many cases DO have somewhat lower alcohol content, though. Bud = 5%, Bud Light = 4.3%, Mic = 5% Mic Light 4.2%, Coors = 5%, Coors Light = 4.2%, Carona not as much difference at 4.6% for the Extra vs. 4.5% for the Light. I learn something new everyday.
> 
> ...


Cheers for the list! When Coors and Budweiser released their light beers, they made a fundamental error in the UK... they assumed that because some bitters and real ales come in at under 4%, people would drink a lager that was under 4%... No... common experience and result has taught me that lager with less than 4% alcohol, unless done extremely well and produced in small batches, is the beer equivalent of a Cremosa Cubana. Nummy.

As for real ales, yes 'somewhere in the 50s' should be perfect... most ales need to be kept at 10-15 celsius or 50-59 fahrenheit, although I tend to like mine more in the high 40s.


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## TideRoll (Nov 7, 2005)

Lumpold said:


> Cheers for the list! When Coors and Budweiser released their light beers, they made a fundamental error in the UK... they assumed that because some bitters and real ales come in at under 4%, people would drink a lager that was under 4%... No... common experience and result has taught me that lager with less than 4% alcohol, unless done extremely well and produced in small batches, is the beer equivalent of a Cremosa Cubana. Nummy.
> 
> As for real ales, yes 'somewhere in the 50s' should be perfect... most ales need to be kept at 10-15 celsius or 50-59 fahrenheit, although I tend to like mine more in the high 40s.


Who would release an American beer in England or Europe that was weaker than their domestic version of the product, when they had to already know there was a common perception that their domestic offerings were already "weak?" Taste aside, that was some brilliant market research. I know the "weak" perception also has to do with flavor, but let's face it: it looks like they were setting themselves up for failure from the get-go.

Since my first several years of drinking beer meant ice cold brew, and the colder the better, it still takes effort for me to grasp the concept of beers in the fifties. The next Hobgoblin or other similar ale I try that needs to be "warmer" I'll probably stay on the lower side of the scale.


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## SeanGAR (Jul 9, 2004)

TideRoll said:


> Who would release an American beer in England or Europe that was weaker than their domestic version of the product, when they had to already know there was a common perception that their domestic offerings were already "weak?" Taste aside, that was some brilliant market research. I know the "weak" perception also has to do with flavor, but let's face it: it looks like they were setting themselves up for failure from the get-go.


The British tax system for beer has traditionally penalized higher alcohol beers. It is possible it was a cost decision related to taxation. Then again, a lot of European beers are relatively low in alcohol. The original pilsner, Pilsner Urquell, is 4.4% alcohol. Guinness is 4.1%. The biggest selling cask beer in Britain, Fuller's Pride (CAMRA data, 2005), is 4.1%. The tax system has lowered the original gravity that Brits brew at over the past 150 years. Over here Bud is 5.0% and Budlight is 4.2%. Ratebeer gives London Pride an 81% and Budweiser a 1% (higher is better, these are percentile data). So alcohol and quality/taste are not related. Budweiser sucks (from a taste standpoint anyhow), irrespective of its alcohol content. I like lighter beers ice cold on a summer day after mowing the lawn or when hitting the beach or grill. But I'd rather a beer with some taste than a beer that reminds me of apple juice.


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## Lumpold (Apr 28, 2005)

TideRoll said:


> Who would release an American beer in England or Europe that was weaker than their domestic version of the product, when they had to already know there was a common perception that their domestic offerings were already "weak?" Taste aside, that was some brilliant market research. I know the "weak" perception also has to do with flavor, but let's face it: it looks like they were setting themselves up for failure from the get-go.


To be perfectly fair to at least Anheuser-Busch, Budweiser is in the top three bottled lagers in Europe... it's not so much that their domestic brew taste weak, more that they failed to grasp that 4% is a strength reserved for piss-poor and piss-cheap lager in the UK... with a standard lager being 5% and exports being 5.5%. Also, I think alot of US breweries see Europe as a similar market the US... after all, it's probalby about the same size, and this is their downfall... beer in Europe is, it would seem, a completely different market when it comes to ABV and styles... but I'm not well versed as to what sells on the US market, so I won't go into a big rant. 
NOTE: I'm talking here about lager-beers rather than ale or real bear.


TideRoll said:


> Since my first several years of drinking beer meant ice cold brew, and the colder the better, it still takes effort for me to grasp the concept of beers in the fifties. The next Hobgoblin or other similar ale I try that needs to be "warmer" I'll probably stay on the lower side of the scale.


Yes, I suffered the same as you, in my teens I drank Bud and Stella (Ick-ick-ickety-ick) ice cold... in my early twenties as real ale came to my attention, I was so weirded out by 'warm' beer... my intorduction to ale was Newcastle Brown (made by dredging the Tyne and removing anything more than quasi-solid) which is ideally served at 5 degrees celcius. (Poured from the bottle into a half pint glass, but lets not get into that) From there I kinda gradually worked my way up to ales at room-ish temp, and they certainly become more complex at warmer temps, but sometimes I prefer them cold... like Hobgoblin I prefer at about 6 to 9 degrees, instead of the recommended 12 or 15. It doesn't make too much difference to the taste, takes out some of the winey and gives a crisp tang if you ask me, but I'm a heathen like that.


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## SeanGAR (Jul 9, 2004)

Lumpold said:


> ...I prefer them cold... like Hobgoblin I prefer at about 6 to 9 degrees, instead of the recommended 12 or 15.


BURN THE WITCH !!

Truth be told, I like them on the chilly side myself ....


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## Lumpold (Apr 28, 2005)

SeanGAR said:


> BURN THE WITCH !!
> 
> Truth be told, I like them on the chilly side myself ....


I think it stems from the fact that during the winter I leave my beer outside to keep cold, as it stays quite cool... and then I bring it inside to warm up for a bit when I want some! :r


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## Guest (Jan 30, 2006)

Ever try beer at room temperature? I used to drink all my beer chilled, but had an older gentleman introduce me to Pearl beer at room temp. Figured it would be nasty, but actually much better warmer. I would store the Pearl Beer in my basement, away from any sunlight from the windows, and drink it at the basement temp, probably 60-65 degrees F.

Haven't had a Pearl in probably 20 years, so can't describe the taste, just remember the beer was much better warmer than colder. Most I drink these days are probably between 45 and 55 degrees F (keep in a wine cooler fridge). Will have to experiment some based on this thread.


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## Lumpold (Apr 28, 2005)

I've had many beers at room temp... quite a few of them supposed to be served cold! I spend at least one weekend a year drinking 'room temperature' beer, when I visit the Reading Real Ale Festival... and then a second weekend if I visit the Reading Real Ale and Jazz festival... oh the hardships. Yes, many real ales are quite good served at room temp, as they are supposed to be. I should like to point out, room temperature lager is disgusting.


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## txmatt (May 22, 2004)

I have been meaning to pick up some of this since seeing this thread. A very good brew; the sixer didn't last me long at all with 4 other sixers in the fridge at the same time. I will buy it again..

-Matt-


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## MrINMENSO (Dec 2, 2004)

Good brew....I like it a little colder but that's just me. Some additional beers to try that I've liked recently....Golden Monkey, Hop Devil, and Maredsous 10. Word to the wise though...the aforementioned brews are high gravity and although excellent in my book, pack quite a punch! Needless to say, I'm very glad that the state of North Carolina finally came around and passed the "alcohol law" to allow us access to greater beverages!


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## Warhorse545 (Oct 16, 2005)

SvilleKid said:


> Ever try beer at room temperature? I used to drink all my beer chilled, but had an older gentleman introduce me to Pearl beer at room temp. Figured it would be nasty, but actually much better warmer. I would store the Pearl Beer in my basement, away from any sunlight from the windows, and drink it at the basement temp, probably 60-65 degrees F.
> 
> Haven't had a Pearl in probably 20 years, so can't describe the taste, just remember the beer was much better warmer than colder. Most I drink these days are probably between 45 and 55 degrees F (keep in a wine cooler fridge). Will have to experiment some based on this thread.


Good lord that brings back memories. Grandfather drank it all the time. Always put salt in it. Never got that.

I picked up a bottle of Hobgoblin today as well as a bottle of Holy Ale. Will try them out the weekend.

Stacey


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## GhostDawg (Sep 17, 2005)

Have had it several times and like it a lot. Good for halloween parties, along with Pete's Wicked Ale.


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## caudio51 (Apr 25, 2005)

I had some of this tonight. It is a very good Dark English Ale. So if that is what you are wanting to drink, the brewmaster hit the nail head on. It had a nice sweetness in the background.

I thought it was an OK beer. I really like something hoppier


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